Who we are

The largest organization devoted to the professional interests of science writers, the National Association of Science Writers fosters "the dissemination of accurate information regarding science through all media normally devoted to informing the public." Its 2,577 members include science writers and editors, and science-writing educators and students.

Publications

The best guide for teaching and learning effective science writing, this second edition of A Field Guide for Science Writers improves on the classic first edition with a wider range of topics, a new slate of writers, and an up-to-date exploration of the most stimulating and challenging issues in science.

NASW news and features

Alzheimer’s is already the most expensive disease in the United States, and its cost is growing steadily, so it's no great surprise that news of promising results from two monoclonal antibody drugs got a lot of attention last week, Tabitha M. Powledge writes. Too bad it wasn't right: "There are plenty of hard-nosed critiques out there, so it’s difficult to understand the media huzzahs. Unless so-called reporters are just swallowing press releases whole. Oh, wait …"

Bad reporting on health science isn't a problem just in America, writes Kathlyn Stone, who interviews Bad Science blogger and physician Ben Goldacre on the flaws of British coverage: "As in the United States, the level of trust the British public has in its media is a mixed bag. 'I think it varies very widely from person to person, and story to story,' says Goldacre. Of specific media he says, 'It’s a broad church, with some very good and some very bad coverage.'"

Jack Limpert's typewriter reminiscences about the good old days, when it was the focal point of the office instead of forgotten in the basement: "I remember hearing the salespeople say that if we spent $100,000 on their computers, we’d be able to save that much in salaries because the computers were so efficient. Ha! The staff is bigger than ever, and we now have two guys called IT managers and everyone treats them like the most important people in the office."

Almost 50 years after the Kerner Commission concluded that one cause of urban unrest was the lack of racial diversity in American newsrooms, Alex T. Williams writes that not much has changed: "Comparing the 2013 job placement rates, graduating minorities that specialized in print were 17 percentage points less likely to find a full-time job than non-minorities; minorities specializing in broadcasting were 17 percentage points less likely to find a full-time job."

The real solution to writer's block might lie in the same confusion and chaos that gives rise to it, Christie Aschwanden writes in a discussion of a new book by University of Central Florida computer scientist Kenneth Stanley: "If you’re trying to create something new, an objective can stand in your way. Seeking novelty instead of objectives is risky — not every interesting thread will pay off — but just like with stocks, the potential payoffs are higher."

Rose Eveleth describes what it's like to be a victim of "doxxing," the public posting of private data for purposes of harassment: "Your phone is full of vile text messages and rings continuously. Your e-mail is full of threatening messages and photographs of dead bodies. Twitter and Facebook — and other ways you might communicate with friends and family not physically present — are clogged with threats." Also: tips on how to prevent doxxing and what to do if it happens.

Writer resources

The National Association of Science Writers offers a wide array of resources to the science writing community, many of which do not require NASW membership. In addition, NASW members can take advantage of tools (marked with an asterisk below) that can help them improve their standing in the science writing marketplace. For more information on NASW membership, see our page on the benefits of NASW membership